February 2014 – Medical Lessons

Why Not Tweet When You Are In the Hospital and Not Feeling Well?

February 26, 2014February 27, 2014 Elaine Schattner, MD

Being isolated in a hospital room leaves you vulnerable to doctors who may be inappropriate, rude and even abusive. You might consider that having the capacity to call for help – to Tweet – is empowering. Health care #911, and very public! But…

Posted in Blogs, Communication, Empowered Patient, Future of Medicine, health care delivery, Life as a Doctor, Life as a Patient, Media, Privacy, Social MediaTagged being in the hospital, open communication, patient-doctor relationship, privacy, social media in hospitals, trust, Twitter4 Comments

Shirley Temple Made It Easier to Talk About Having Breast Cancer

February 11, 2014February 11, 2014 Elaine Schattner, MD

What I choose to remember about Shirley Temple is that she lived for 41 years after having a mastectomy for breast cancer. In 1972 she spoke openly about her medical condition, and encouraged other women to seek medical care if they noticed a lump, and not to be afraid of the disease. She made it easier for us, today, to talk about breast cancer treatment and options.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer awareness, Communication, Public Illness, Women's HealthTagged Breast Cancer, cancer awareness, celebrity diagnosis, fear, mastectomy, medical news, Shirley Temple, Shirley Temple Black, survivorshipLeave a Comment

Can You Trust a Selfie?

February 3, 2014October 31, 2021 Elaine Schattner, MD

My only conclusion is that it’s usually worth hearing what a person says, directly. She is a key witness to her experience.

Posted in Communication, journalism, Social MediaTagged experience, journalism, narratives, Nick Kristof, patient-doctor relationships, patients' voices, quotes, subjectivity, truth2 Comments

Medical Lessons

Medical Lessons

Shirley Temple Made It Easier to Talk About Having Breast Cancer

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